The health and social care of older veterans in the UK: Raising awareness of needs in later life

This chapter is embedded in gerontological theory and particularly that of the life course perspective. This theory suggests that to understand the circumstances of older people, one must consider the major social and psychological forces he has experienced throughout his live. Underpinning life review is the concept of reminiscence as being an aspect of successful ageing. Reminiscence is the act of recalling the past, and it serves several purposes, including integration of events across the lifespan. Given the potential concerns of later life, one might question whether service experience impacts sufficiently enough to warrant being concerned about the health and wellbeing of older veterans. Traumatic war memories and reminiscence have a reciprocal relationship, with one affecting the other. Natural age-related changes in cognition may lead to the emergence of involuntary memories in later life, leading to the post-traumatic symptoms in some cases. The Armed Forces Covenant and the Care Act 2014 influence authority strategies for older people's health and wellbeing.